We set out to make a bold monument for The King of the Pumpkins!
This 8.0% ABV pumpkin ale is the mother of all pumpkin ales. It is heartier, spicier and more “caramelly” and “pumpkiny” than its faint brethren! We have added lots of pumpkin along with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of cardamom and clove, giving this beer a spicy, full-bodied flavor.

This truly is an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Perfect finisher on a cool autumn night or match it up with a slice of pumpkin pie and fresh whipped cream.

Reviews by radioscooter:

I was more stoked to try this than any other pumpkin ale besides Schlafly, so maybe the expectations were too high. I compare all pumpkin ales to Pumking, which is a benchmark in my book.

Color is an amber/toffee honey tone. Head is a medium weight, quick-to-dissipate cream.

Smell is fairly non-descript. I get a tiny bit of the allspice and cloves, not sensing the pumpkin outright.

Taste is a little disappointing. Loaded with Fall spices: Nutmeg, cloves, a bit of ginger, maybe a little coriander. Pumpkin is de-emphasized by the spices. No sweetness other than the malt. Spices make it a little too bitter, not offset enough by sweetness.

Too carbonated. A bit frothy for the style.

Overall, it's a good pumpkin ale, but not a great one. I read a bunch of reviews that say - "Good to try if you like pumpkin ales." Well, duh. But is it GOOD? Pumking is infectious, tasty and well blended. This one lags behind. It needs some flavor to offset the spices.

More User Reviews:

Its getting to be that time of year again,I am not a fan of pumpkin pie but I enjoy the fall pumpkin brews.This poured a clear rich amber/copper with a tight formed slight off white 1/2 finger head that held some good retention,pumpkin pie spice mainly in the nose cardimom and mace with big nutmeg notes,that spice to me is just to big flavor wise the pumpkin flavors as light as they are are just overwhelmed by spices nutmeg and mace mainly with notes of cinnamon and clove as well.The point is the spice flavor are just a little to big for this beer everything else...the nose and appearance are top notch,damn its so close to being great.

A- Pours a bright amber orange color with lightly active off white head that falls to absoluly nothing. Leaves no lacing that I can see.

S- Very rubust smells of cinnamon and cloves dominate the nose. Small hints of nutmeg and cardamom are there as well. Smells like fresh pumpkin pie.

T-M- Taste is sweet with heavy doses of fresh pumpkin peels. Nutmeg and clove spices are the second to notice. Flavorfull with complexities that fuse to make a very enjoyable beer. Ale is in the backbone with malty mouthfeel. Smooth and dry on the tongue.

D- Drinkable but not to much at one time. Leaves a pleasent taste in the mouth.

This is one of my favorite pumpkin beers. It pours amber with a very thin head. There is little to no lacing. It smells of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. The is easy on the palate and masks the alcohol very well. I feel that it is much better on draught but is still solid from the bottle. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to try a pumpkin beer.

Taste - Dry hoppy taste up front turns into a dry doughy middle with slight carmel overtones. The end finishes with the taste of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg overshadowed by the taste of pumpkin.

Mouthfeel - Light body.

Drinkability - For an imperial pumpkin ale weighing in at 8%, it's pretty damn drinkable! The taste is OK, though. I'd drink this one again, but If I had a choice I'd have to pick other pumpkin offerings over this one.

This is a solid example of a pumpkin ale. The flavors and spices are well balanced. It is very drinkable considering the ABV. I am left thinking this beer is missing something, but not sure what. Until I figure that out, I will enjoy this seasonal beauty. I recommend you do the same. Cheers.

22oz bomber poured into a SA pint glass. Nice looking beer: dark amber, thick tan head. The aroma was all spice: cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe a little clove. I think the spice dominated the taste, and really couldn't tell there was pumpkin in it. It felt warm in my mouth, and for this style of beer was pretty good.

With almost no head to speak of, this beverage is more mud-brown than pumpkin-orange. Hardly translucent, it's more like a real brown ale--does the darkness indicate imperialism? The relatively dark tinge on an 8% imperial makes me uneasy.

The most pronounced aroma is nutmeg. The cloves are there as well. Even the cardamom reveals its presence in the nose. Maybe it's the influx of these powerful spices that provoked such worry from the look. I'm not sure how this will manifest in taste, but the spice basket smells like, well, a spice basket.

Perhaps this one's imperialism relates more to its fancy assembly of spices than the ethanol it offers. It tastes strong as in spicy, and literally spicy as opposed to more commonly spicy hot. It's imperial because you can envision sailors commissioned by royalty traveling proudly to return the spices that compose this beer. It's incredibly unique, but it's the most uncomfortably close I've come to eating a potpourri bag. Now, as I smell before I taste, I'm almost fearful. The beer is thick and indeed powerful, but more like syrup than adult beverage. There's little balance to the spiciness that is this pumpkin beer.

The mouthfeel is like sensory overload. Trying to feel all that you smell is taxing. It leaves my cheeks worn out. Halfway through my 12oz pour, finishing seems a daunting task. Though "awful" would be an unfair label, this serving may prove too much.

This nice pumpkin ale poured reddish amber with a nice head. The lacing was adequate and had a pleasant malty taste. The spices were spot on and a hint of pumpkin and vanilla topped it off. It was like drinking a pumpkin pie without the overly sweet flavor!